Bushy Eyebrows and Giant Foreheads
by Insidiae
Summary: It wasn't a storybook romance, but that was okay. To be frank, he was never Prince Charming, and she was never Princess Damsel in Distress. That was how they liked it. Series of oneshots for the 30 Flowers lj community. SakuLee.
1. First Impressions

Title: Bushy Eyebrows and Giant Foreheads  
Author: Insidiae  
Pairing: Rock Lee / Haruno Sakura  
Fandom: Naruto  
Theme: Holly - Foresight, #25  
Disclaimer: LAst time I checked, Masashi Kishimoto was a male.

* * *

This is how it begins.

"_I am Rock Lee! The beautiful green beast of Konoha!"_

Oh brother, who was this guy? This had to be some kind joke. Who in their right minds would recommend _this _guy for the chuunin exams?

Well, Gai-sensei of course, but Sakura hadn't known that at the time.

There were two things about Rock Lee that you just couldn't ignore. One was his questionable taste in clothing. Though really, the big issue there was his questionable taste in role models, since all he was doing was emulating his less-than-average teacher, but alas, I digress.

The other thing was the eyebrows. Oh gods, the eyebrows. Seriously, had this kid ever looked in a mirror?

Ack! He was blowing kisses at her. Sakura freaked and nimbly dodged each of the 'attacks' he sent her way. She couldn't believe her luck. Naruto and now this freak; why did she only attract weirdos?

Oh, Naruto challenged him to a fight. Figures. Sakura rolled her eyes at her impulsive teammate's actions. Whatever. Even Naruto should have been strong enough to beat this kid-

Or not. Sakura stared at the blond from the sidelines. That had been one quick fight. If she had blinked, she would've missed it. Huh. She must have over-estimated her teammate. Though, if he was doing so poorly with this freak before they had even registered, it didn't bode well for the remainder of the exams.

What was that now? He challenged Sasuke? Sakura snorted. Stupid kid. Nobody could defeat-

"Sasuke-kun!"

Christ, what was this kid?! He was whooping Sasuke's ass halfway to Sunday, and the Uchiha heir was even using his newly awakened Sharingan. And what's he doing with those bandages on his arm? Sa…. Sasuke-kun!

"Lee!"

A turtle…? Sure, why not. This was already weird enough, so why not just top things off with a talking reptile?

"Gai-sensei!"

"What?!"

Again, Sakura was forced to roll her eyes. Yes, Naruto, screaming will obvious fix everything (nevermind that Inner Sakura had been doing the exact same thing for the past few minutes). Honestly, he was a ninja. He wasn't supposed to be surprised at anything, and that included a bushy-eyebrowed ass-kicker and his apparently reptilian teacher.

Of course, if Sakura hadn't been in shock over Sasuke losing (the boy was currently crouching off to the side, catching his breath), she would've easily noticed the signs of a Henge no Jutsu. Sure enough, in a puff of smoke, the turtle transformed itself into a taller version of this boy, Rock Lee, with the same ghastly green jumpsuit and the same impossibly thick eyebrows.

…And these guys were supposed to be shinobi?

Green Thing (big) was lecturing Green Thing (small) about something. Forbidden techniques and whatnot. GTS (green thing small) nodded his head enthusiastically, apologies accenting each movement. With determination in his eyes, the younger turned back to the group of three, and spoke.

"I am afraid I must leave you now. Until next time, my dearest Sakura-san!"

He disappeared with his teacher in puff of smoke.

"Rock Lee, huh?" Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and turned away. He had a registry form to fill out. Naruto soon got up and followed suit.

Sakura remained where she was for a moment longer. Lee had the kind of personality that left little doubt in her mind that she would see him again. Though, what role he played in her future, she couldn't tell.

Hopefully not a big one. She scoffed. Freak.

"…"

Her eyes shifted from side to side. When she was sure nobody else was there, she smiled.

He was kind of cute, as freaks go.


	2. Dandelion Milk

OMG I need a beta. Badly. Last chapter is completely anti-canon seeing AS IT NEVER HAPPENED! So embarrassed. Need a beta. Need a beta.

Title: Dandelion Milk  
Author: Insidiae  
Fandom: Naruto  
Pairing: Sakura/Lee  
Theme: #26 Dandelion (weed)

* * *

Once upon a time, a classmate told Lee to put dandelion milk in his tea. Said it'd be sweet. 

It wasn't.

Lee had been eleven. He was by most measures a failure, and he was never well-liked. His classmates saw him as a loser, and rejection was a thing he'd long grown used to.

It was just another obstacle to overcome.

That was how he saw his life, after all: just one long list of things to overcome. He was an optimist, but most people didn't realize that only a part of it was his natural cheer. True, Rock Lee was happy kid, and a deeply caring, sincerely good child in ways that nobody else was, but he also was smart, and he also was realistic. That is why he gave up on ninjutsu and genjutsu. He held no false ideals of perfecting skills he was doomed to fail at.

But it was also this realism that helped him to understand that if he did not hope with all of his being, he would lose himself.

Once upon a time, a classmate told Lee to put dandelion milk in his tea. Said it'd be sweet.

It wasn't.

Poor Lee, however, would've done it a million times over if his peers kept telling him to. That was the way he was. Lee trusted without doubt; to him, there were no such things as evil people, just evil influences and evil actions. Nothing that couldn't be redeemed, and nothing that should be judged before one really knew about it. He believed in second chances and the good of human nature, in the power to defeat impossible odds and that karma really did reward those that worked hard and did well with the fruits of their labors.

Lee was naive, wasn't he?

His classmates took advantage of this. Soon, Lee became famous for not only be a bad ninja, but a dumb one, too.

Once upon a time, a classmate told Lee to put dandelion milk in his tea. Said it'd be sweet.

It wasn't.

The liquid left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that wouldn't dissipate for hours. He gagged a bit; it wasn't a very pleasant experience. The other children laughed from the side as he scratched his tongue, trying desperately to rid himself of the aftertaste. He spit until his mouth went dry, and even then, the bitter sensation was still as clear as ever.

Of course, he reasoned with himself. They had no way of knowing that. They probably had heard wrong from someone else that dandelion milk tasted like that. My classmates are good people, and I trust them.

Lee didn't have to look far inside himself to know he was lying. That he was in denial. Because Lee wasn't stupid, and Lee was realistic, but Lee didn't want to admit to himself that there were people who truly didn't like him. That his name left a bitter aftertaste on their tongues like the dandelion milk did on his own.

Once upon a time, Sakura told Lee to put dandelion milk in his tea. Said it'd be bitter.

It was.

"It tastes bad, but it's for your own good," she had scolded him as she dropped the white sticky substance into the hot drink. "Dandelions have incredible cleansing powers for the liver, and that's exactly what you need right now."

These were the words that Lee woke up to. His head felt woozy, and he was lying in a hospital bed. Sakura hovered above him, a bunch of the yellow weeds clutched in her hand.

"Sakura-san...?" Whoa, the room was positively spinning. "Ow... what happened?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You got into alcohol again, idiot. Here, drink this. It'll sober you up, but I'm warning you, it's bitter."

Lee took the tea and gulped it down. It tasted as bad as ever, but Lee put on a brilliant smile, more sincere and emotionally attached than his normal 'nice guy' pose, that spoke volumes of true happiness and deep rooted affection. "Thank, Sakura-san."

Thank you for not lying, even though I'd believe you anyway. Thank you for helping me, even though I have long grown to caring for myself. Thank you for being realistic, and not expecting things out of me that I cannot complete. Thank you for being naive, and believing that I still can.

"You're welcome, Lee-kun. It's no problem, really."

And suddenly, Lee was crying. Crying because the bitterness had somehow turned bittersweet. Crying because he was the girl he loved, nursing him back to health. Crying, because he knew that people were good, and look...! Here was the proof...!

"Lee-kun, are you okay?"

"Thank you, thank you, oh Sakura-san, thank you..."

Crying because in this bitter cup of tea, he saw himself. If shinobi were tea, he'd be dandelion milk; having to sacrifice something such as taste or chakra skills in order to achieve the end result. The cure. The strength.

"Shh... it's okay, Lee-kun, I'm here, you're welcome, you're welcome, it's okay..."

And Sakura held his head to her chest and let him sob into her dress.

Dandelions are weeds, and Lee was a dandelion. However, even weeds have their uses, if only anybody would bother to look.

* * *

If anyone wants to beta for me, contact me. PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! 

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	3. Sun God

Right, so I haven't updated in a while, and I'm not even sure if I still have my claim. I think I took too long, but 30 Flowers is pretty chill, so who knows? Anyway, I plan to continue regardless, until all 30 chapters are done.

Title: Sun God  
Author: Insidiae  
Fandom: Naruto  
Pairing: Rock Lee x Haruno Sakura  
Theme: 6 - Sunflower (haughtiness)

_

* * *

Clytie was a water nymph and in love with Apollo, who made her no return._

* * *

Two years. It had been two years, and he still wasn't back. And this was the anniversary.

…Oh, gods…

_So she pined away, sitting all day long upon the cold ground, with her unbound tresses streaming over her shoulders._

She brushed her hair slowly, gently removing the knots that had formed in her sleep. It was growing out again. Not too much, but still a noticeable difference. Sakura realized that she had forgotten when and why she had cut it in the first place, and thought hard to remember.

Ah, yes. That's right. It was when they were in the Forest of Death and she had to fight that Sound girl, Rin, because she had to protect Sasuke, who was still unconscious from his encouter…with…with…w…

_Nine days she sat and tasted neither food nor drink, her own tears and the chilly dew her only food._

She paused, feeling something wet on her cheek, and upon further examination, found it to be a tear. She was crying. _Again_. It was two years later and she _was still crying!_

She swallowed hard and blinked back tears. She couldn't waste time; Tsunade was expecting her early this morning. Grabbing her jacket and medical scrolls, she headed out the door, closing it with a soft click as to not disturb her parents.

It was colder than she expected. She shivered slightly and panted, her own breath fogging up. The morning dew was half frost, and dark clouds were gathering in the sky.

It would probably snow today.

Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day, studying hard to meet the Godaime's high standards. Tsunade was a tough teacher, but Sakura was tired of being useless.

She looked at her watch. No time to catch a bite. Oh well, she'd manage.

_She gazed on the sun when he rose, and as he passed through his daily course to his setting; she saw no other object, her face turned constantly on him._

It was a long way to Hokage Tower from Sakura's house. It was something she had noticed, much to her dismay, in the cold months of winter, when her fingers would go numb and her nose turn red.

Sakura hated winter.

She stared at the clouds angrily. The sun was unable to offer her any warmth, the thick, dark puffs blocking out any light. Was it just her, or were the grayer this year than the last? They never seemed so dark when Sasuke was around.

…Sakura longed for summer.

Sasuke's birthday was in summer. July, in fact. She had memorized it a few years ago, back when she had first grown infatuated with him. She always thought a summer birthday would be nice, and dreamed of having picnics with him to celebrate.

Not that it would ever happen, or anything, but the thought was nice.

They would sit, she imagined, in a beautiful field with bright pink sakura blossoms that he would comment on and compare her to. She would pack them cute little lunches, and together they would salute another year gone by in his life on green, green, lush grass.

"Sakura-san!"

Speaking of green…

"Ah… Good morning, Lee-kun."

The boy trotted up to her, with his usual gleaming smile on his face. "What are you doing out so early? It is unusual to meet many other people at this time of day."

"Ah," she responded. "I have a meeting with Tsunade-sama today. She wishes to teach me some surgical procedures. She thinks that I might be ready to work with bone, now." She paused, giving him a once over. "Speaking of which, how have you been, Lee-kun? I heard from Hokage-sama that your injuries had been acting up again."

"Yes, but I am much better now!" he exclaimed, not dwelling on thoughts of the chuunin exam and the sand-nin who had caused him so much damage. His hand found its way into its standard thumbs up position. "Godaime-sama gave me some wondeful medecine, and Neji-san has been training with me again to help me adjust. Please, you must thank her for me when you see her today, Sakura-san."

The kunoichi smiled at him. "Of course, Lee-kun."

He smiled back at her with a large, toothy grin. "I am glad to hear that you are learning these arts, Sakura-san. I am sure that one day you will be even better than Tsunade-sama." He paused, looking off to the sky. "I hope that you will not mind taking care of me when you do."

She stopped as well, following his gaze and raising a hand to her eyes in defense of the sudden sunlight. Sakura smiled happily.

The clouds were passing.

_At last, they say, her limbs rooted in the ground, her face became a sunflower, which turns on its stem so as always to face the sun throughout its daily course._

Of course, the brightened sunshine signified time passing along with the clouds, and with this in mind, the pink-haired girl started. "Oh no, I'm going to be late!" She smiled in apology. "I'm sorry, Lee-kun. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

The boy waggled his eyebrows and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, Sakura-san! I would not want you to be late for you lessons with Hokage-sama!"

Sakura nodded in return and gave one last smile before turning around and running off to Hokage Tower. She knew she was well out of his range of hearing when she murmured, "Thank you, Lee-kun," but she felt somehow that he heard it anyway.

Lee watched her go silently. He knew he was well out of her range of sight when he turned his lips upward in a soft smile, but he felt somehow that she saw it anyway.

Sakura, Lee thought, was a beautiful flower in mid-bloom. It was saddening to him that heartbreak could've stopped that blossoming forever, but he knew she was strong. Someday, _someday_, Lee wanted to be the one to bring out the full flower in her, but for now, he was satisfied being the gardener that watered her and cared for her and make sure she didn't take any step backs until the day she fully opened.

Blooming.

* * *

_For it retains to that extent the feeling of the nymph from whom it sprang.

* * *

Right, okay. So clearly I used the actual flower instead of its meaning. Yeah. I'll try to get the next one out quicker. Sorry, sorry! Oh, and the italics are the Greek myth of Clytie. They kind of explain it. _

Please review!

-Insidiae-


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